Naoya Inoue stops Stephen Fulton in eighth round to claim WBC, WBO junior featherweight titles

Final result: Naoya Inoue claimed a stoppage win in the eighth round at the 1:45 mark. He dropped Stephen Fulton twice and claims the WBC and WBO junior featherweight titles to claim gold in a fourth division.

Update: The undercard wrapped up early and ring walks began at 7:56 a.m. ET.

The junior featherweight gets a Tuesday morning spotlight this week as Stephen Fulton and Naoya Inoue face off in Tokyo. Fulton is putting his WBC and WBO titles on the line during an ESPN+ card that gets started at 4:30 a.m. Fulton and Inoue are expected to hit the ring at approximately 8 a.m.

Inoue is No. 2 in most pound-for-pound rankings and is moving up from bantamweight in an attempt to win a title in a fourth weight class. Fulton is the champ, but is an underdog in the bout. Fulton is +285 to win the fight while Inoue is -380 at DraftKings Sportsbook.

The favored fight outcome is an Inoue stoppage at -110, while an Inoue decision is +225. If Fulton springs the upset, a decision win is +400 and a stoppage is +1100. Inoue has 21 knockouts in 24 bouts while Fulton has only eight in 21 bouts.

We’ll be providing full round-by-round coverage throughout the bout until a winner is determined. We’ll have scoring, highlights, and the final result when the bout wraps.

Stephen Fulton vs. Naoya Inoue round-by-round results

Round 1: Inoue 10-9

The first minute saw some feeling out, but Inoue took a bit of control in the second and third minutes. He was successful landing the jab and had a contact edge of 11-3 compared to Fulton.

Round 2: Inoue 10-9 (20-18)

The Monster continued finding success with his jab, but he also started landing overhand rights with some power. Fulton doesn’t have the speed right now to stop Inoue, who has a 26-6 connect advantage through two rounds.

Round 3: Inoue 10-9 (30-27)

Fulton was a little more active this round, but it still was not enough. He’s leaning forward like he wants to attack, but he’s not throwing nearly enough punches. Inoue is dominating with his jab. Inoue was a little quieter this round, but we saw the first notable upper cut and he’s got blood coming from Fulton’s nose.

Round 4: Inoue 10-9 (40-36)

It’s more of the same with Inoue finishing strong. Fulton is tentative and he’s taking a lot of jabs from Inoue. He’s bleeding a bit more from the nose and it’s indicative of the problems he’s having. Through four rounds, Inoue has landed 55 punches to 18 for Fulton. It’s a one-sided fight and at some point Inoue will come for the kill.

Round 5: Inoue 10-9 (50-45)

We got the first notable fireworks exchanges of the bout in this round. Fulton landed a couple tough shots to push back Inoue, but the Monster responded with big shots of his own and then some. Even when Fulton finds success, Inoue is landing more successful shots. We’re starting to see more combinations from Inoue and if Fulton starts feeling. little desperate, this could end for him in a hurry.

Round 6: Inoue 10-9 (60-54)

Inoue has been consistent all fight, but the sixth round saw him start to show signs of stunning Fulton in a notable way. He’s pushing with combinations and it feels like he is starting to sense a stoppage is possible. Through six rounds, INoue has landed 93 punches to Fulton’s 33 and has 18 body shots to six.

Round 7: Inoue 10-9 (70-63)

Fulton popped Inoue well late in the round and got some more work in, but Inoue is cutting off the ring more and more in these later rounds. He had Fulton backed into the ropes and was able to pick him off with ease.

Round 8: Inoue TKO 1:45

And it’s all over. Inoue dropped Fulton midway through the round and after the champ got back up, Inoue attacked and forced the ref to stop the fight at the 1:45 mark as Fulton went down to his knees a second time.